untitled
by fallen-forgotten-faith
Summary: Kagome's leaving. leaving her friends behind, leaving the Feudal Era. leaving him.Sometimes friendship and love aren't all that different. Mir x Kag, oneshot


She wasn't very sorry she had to go.

It was fate after all, and fate was always hard to cheat.

Besides, HE wouldn't care, would he?

No. He wouldn't. He had someone to love; someone he could spend an eternity with.

Now that everything was over.

She zipped up her backpack, and with a sigh, headed for the door. This would be the last she would see of this world she had made her second home. She didn't want to see him. That would just make her want to stay even more; it would also, undoubtedly, cause tears to fall because they would be the last tears she would ever cry here, in the Feudal Era.

The last tears he would ever see her shed.

He'd gone through so many nights comforting this shaken, lost little girl of 15 years, gently patting her back, being a gentleman.

Well. She'd miss _that._

It had become something like a drug she was hooked on. She needed him to tell her everything was fine, needed him to hug her like she was an infant in need of tender loving care.

"I'm going now," she announced to nobody in particular (since she was alone) and immediately felt retarded after doing that.

She hiked her skirt up a little and rested one foot on the edge of the well, a wee bit hesitant to go. Just one more foot up…

Curses. Why wasn't it moving? Come on, foot, budge.

"Kagome! Kagome!"

No. She was NOT looking back. She was NOT…

"Kagome." From an urgent cry to prevent her from jumping into the well and never returning ever again, it became a soft plea. She put her foot back down on solid ground.

He was alone.

She avoided looking at him directly, instead focusing on the grass. "What?"

Ouch. That was kind of rude, she thought. But one couldn't blame her. She was under the pressure of having to leave a place she loved.

He smiled. "You know I won't hold you back now," he said.

That was when she hated him. She detested him for saying that, for forcing her to feel so … guilty for wanting to leave.

"I know," she snapped.

"Kagome … when you're gone…"

She smacked him on the arm. "Don't say that! It's as though I were going to die or something…" she chided, fighting an unseen battle inside of her.

She wanted to cry.

"My sincere apologies. But … Inuyasha… don't you want to say goodbye to him? Or inform Koga, at the least?" he had an honest expression on his face, as if he really didn't know what the answer was.

"I don't want Koga to be hurt the way I was, houshi-sama. As for Inuyasha, I don't care."

That was when she swore she saw the monk smirk. "And you think that I won't be, knowing that you'll never come back again?" he asked, sounding hurt, though he tried hard to masquerade it with a teasing tone.

Kagome bit her lip nervously. " I didn't mean that. It's just… you know, Koga cares for me, and if I have to tell him that well, I'm going home forever…"

She wanted to just jump in the well already. Everything was coming out wrong; all wrong. It was making her sound as though she thought Miroku wouldn't miss her.

"So you think I don't care for you, Kagome?"

It was inaudible, almost. She was certain he was upset; she was good at sensing stuff like that. Usually she could say something and worm her way out of awkward situations as this, but now…she felt so hollow she could hardly think.

"I'm so sorry, Miroku-sama, really I am. I know you care for me as a friend, and – and for that, I thank you." She stuttered, unsure if it was enough to get the normally mischievously cheerful monk back to his original self.

"But just because I'm only a friend, you think I won't miss you?"

Now she was getting frustrated. He was being childish, like Inuyasha. But maybe she was being the immature one, running home so soon without informing anyone. Then how come he knew?

"Miroku… how did you know I was leaving?"

He gave her an enigmatic grin. "I have special powers," he replied teasingly.

She glared at him in mock anger, her previous frustration fading away. "Come on, spit it out," she demanded.

"When you've been observing someone for a very long time, you tend to know what little actions mean. I picked up a few hints here and there that you were about to leave. You know, suddenly becoming withdrawn, smiling a lot lesser than you usually do… tiny details like that." He explained nonchalantly.

'When you've been observing someone for a very long time.'

No. She was sure he meant that he knew her for so long AS A COMRADE that her life was practically an open book.

She nodded slightly. "Well, I must go now…" she tilted her head in the direction of the well.

"Why?" It was just a harmless question.

"Just promise me you'll remember to forget me."

She wanted him to completely erase her from his mind, to dismiss her existence, to pretend as though he had never known a Kagome in his life. But she knew that somehow, he couldn't do that.

"But…"

"Miroku. Are you my friend or not?" she demanded.

"Yes," he swallowed.

"Then let me go. Please. " She sounded so pathetic, like a needy little puppy.

He squinted at her, as if she were nothing but a distant shadow saying its final goodbye.

"Fine."

Cold. Harsh. Bitter.

She would never forget the way he said that ONE word.

Never.

Because … it was the only time he ever used that tone with her; ever sounded so sad and miserably wretched, so … pained. Like he was hesitating telling her the truth.

But he would never know what the truth really was.

That she wanted to be more than just friends, too.


End file.
